TAC-MI master’s students present AY2023 research findings at industry-academia exchange event
The Tokyo Tech Academy for Convergence of Materials and Informatics (TAC-MI) held an event on Ookayama Campus on September 26, 2023 for TAC-MI students to present their latest research findings and receive career guidance from TAC-MI member companies. In the first part of the event, 23 master’s students gave poster presentations to approximately 100 TAC-MI program staff members, students, and industrial collaborators. In the second part, TAC-MI students held interviews and received advice from their industrial mentors. The third part was an industry-academic exchange event, during which 25 TAC-MI member companies introduced themselves for the purpose of career guidance to TAC-MI students.
Part 1: Poster presentations of research findings by master’s students
After brief opening words from School of Materials and Chemical Technology Dean Hidetoshi Sekiguchi and TAC-MI Director Takeo Yamaguchi, the poster presentations kicked off. Twenty-three master’s students gave poster presentations to TAC-MI program staff members, students, and industrial collaborators. TAC-MI’s industrial collaborators and program staff members examined each poster carefully while actively and openly exchanging opinions with the students. In addition to face-to-face presentations, the students also delivered presentations via Zoom to online participants.
“I felt that the level of presentations were very high. Some students have already achieved results by fusing information and materials. Overall, the poster was easy to understand,” one of the participants commented.
” It was very inspiring to hear opinions from people at companies, and it was good opportunity to receive advice that I could use in my future research,” one of the student presenters commented.
“It was interesting to hear opinions from different perspectives from teachers in different fields,” another student stated. Overall, this was another wonderful opportunity for TAC-MI students to think about how to convey their research to non-specialized audiences.
Part 2: TAC-MI students’ interviews with industrial mentors
In the second part of the event, master’s students held interviews with and received advice from their industrial mentors. TAC-MI students have the advantage of evaluating their strengths and weakness in face-to-face meetings with researchers, developers, technical experts, product planners, and marketing professionals from various industries. One industrial mentor is assigned to each student. Throughout the duration of this program, each student has an industrial mentor who continuously guides the student from enrollment to program completion. Master’s students meet their mentors once a year, while doctoral students meet them twice a year. After listening to the poster presentations in the first part, industrial mentors gave various useful tips to the students regarding research activities, future careers, and other aspects of their development.
Part 3: Company introductions and career guidance for TAC-MI students
The third part of the day was an industry-academia exchange event, during which 25 TAC-MI member companies introduced themselves in booths for the purpose of career guidance to TAC-MI students. The students commented on the interviews as follows:
- This event was a great opportunity for me to hear information about companies that I would not have been able to get by researching it myself.
- In a short amount of time, the company gave me a concise introduction to the general corporate structure and the content of research positions, making it very easy to understand and easy to ask questions.
Participating companies
AGC Inc. / ASAHI KASEI CORPORATION / Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. /
JEOL Ltd. / JFE Steel Corporation / JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corporation /
Kao Corporation / KYOCERA Corporation / Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation /
MITSUI MINING＆SMELTING CO., LTD. / NGK INSULATORS, LTD. /
NIPPON KAYAKU CO., LTD. / Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. / Niterra Co., Ltd. /
Panasonic Industry Co., Ltd. / Resonac Corporation / Seiko Epson Corporation /
Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. / SUMITOMO CHEMICAL Co., Ltd. /
TAIYO YUDEN CO., LTD. / TDK Corporation / TODA KOGYO CORP. / Toshiba Corporation / TOSOH CORPORATION / Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, Ltd.
At the exchange event, in addition to learning about the business activities of the participating companies, the students also gained valuable knowledge about the human resources required by these firms, and about the fields where doctoral graduates can play active roles. Through regular exchange events such as this with companies, TAC-MI aims to cultivate multi-talented individuals required by industry who apply a broad, global perspective to understanding new social services and creating new ideas.
